Avada Kedavra
by Rita Skeeter4
Summary: How do Muggleborns find out about Hogwarts? What happens when they get there? This is the story of Lily and her adventures during Voldemort's rise to power.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I'm not JKR, I don't own anything.  
  
Prologue - Avada Kedavra  
  
"Petunia, come back! Mummy said to swim close to the beach!" four-year-old Lily Evans called out to her big sister.  
  
"What's the matter, Lily, are you scared a squid'll eat you?" Petunia taunted.  
  
"No, I just think we should listen to Mum. She wouldn't have said it if she didn't care about us."  
  
"Don't be such a goody two-shoes, Lily."  
  
"Okay, 'Tunia, but I'm only following you because Mummy said that we should stay close together."  
  
"Do you see that rock down there?" Petunia said, pointing to a rock jutting out from the middle of the lake. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" Petunia dived into the water and began swimming furiously, trusting her little sister would eventually follow.  
  
"But 'Tunia, Mummy said." Lily stopped midsentence as Petunia began to flail her arms in the deep murky water.  
  
"PETUNIA!" Lily screamed, as she began pumping her little arms and legs as fast as they could go.  
  
I'll never get there in time. I'll never make it. Petunia will drown, and it'll be all my fault.  
  
Lily blinked, and she was somehow right next to her sister. Lily pressed her small body against Petunia's, forcing her to breathe air. Petunia spluttered and a fountain of water came streaming from her mouth.  
  
"LILY! Why did you do that?"  
  
"WHAT? I thought you were drowning!"  
  
"I wasn't drowning. Look over there," Petunia said, pointing to the beach. "Do you see the guy in the blue swim trunks, the one with sandy hair?"  
  
"There's lots of guys with sand in their hair, 'Tunia."  
  
Petunia sighed a long exasperated sigh of frustration.  
  
"Honestly," she said, dragging the word out. "Little kids. He's a boy, and he's cute! I said he has sandy hair not just because he has sand in his hair, but because his hair is the color of sand."  
  
"Oh, I get it. Um, 'Tunia?"  
  
"WHAT, Lily?"  
  
"Isn't that Mum coming down the beach?"  
  
"So?" Petunia challenged.  
  
"Well, she said we had to stay by the beach. And we're kind of in the middle of the lake."  
  
"Lily, stop worrying. What's she going to do, lock us in a closet and make us be her personal slaves? I don't think so."  
  
"No, but she will be worried. I think we should go back."  
  
"Well, I think you should stay here. In fact, I know exactly how to make you stay here, and how to fix the mess with the cute boy. Now, start waving your arms up and down."  
  
"NO! That's stupid. I don't want people to think I don't know how to swim."  
  
"But if you pretend to be drowning, then Mum might forget to be mad at us."  
  
"She won't be mad at US, 'Tunia. She'll be mad at you for dragging me out here."  
  
"That's what you think, you little witch," Petunia said, slapping her sister's face. "If you're not gonna help me, I'll just have to do this myself."  
  
Petunia drew a deep breath and started screaming. "HELP! HELP! My little sister is drowning!" as she pointed to Lily.  
  
"Please, help us! PLEASE! SOMEONE SAVE HER!" Petunia was so involved in her screaming that she didn't notice Lily slowly swimming towards the shore.  
  
Lily hopped up on the beach, unharmed, just as the cute boy reached Petunia.  
  
"Where's your sister?"  
  
Petunia looked at the water around her and noticed that Lily had disappeared.  
  
"I don't know, handsome," she said, slinging her arms around his neck, "but I could use some rescuing."  
  
"PETUNIA ANNE EVANS! GET OUT OF THE WATER RIGHT NOW!" Lily frowned as Mum began screaming.  
  
Maybe I shouldn't have come up to the beach. I got 'Tunia in trouble and now she'll be mad at me. I should've just stayed right there in the water with her.  
  
Petunia slunk up next to her mother, holding hands with her "rescuer."  
  
"Petunia, let that boy go. You and I need to have a serious chat."  
  
Petunia stuck out her tongue at Lily as Lily suddenly wondered how she had swum across the lake so fast. 


	2. Of Letters and Witches

Disclaimer: It's JKR's. Really.  
  
Chapter One - Of Letters and Witches  
  
~7 years later~  
  
Lily sat at the table, lost in thought, picking at the pancakes that were smeared in the syrup that covered her plate.  
  
"More pancakes, Lily?" Mrs. Evans asked, interrupting Lily's thoughts.  
  
"No Mum, I think I'm full, thank you."  
  
"How about you, Petunia dear? Would you like more pancakes?"  
  
"Mum!" Petunia said, horrified, "Don't you know what pancakes do to a woman's figure?"  
  
"I do, Petunia," here Mrs Evans smiled, and patted her plump belly, "but growing girls need nutrition."  
  
"Not this growing girl," Petunia grumbled, pushing her plate of half-eaten pancakes away.  
  
"Now Petunia, there's really no need to carry on this way. You know that for many generations, people didn't have enough to eat at all. Granted, there's no need to waste food, but I don't believe a person can ever have too much food, do you?"  
  
Lily didn't wait to hear her sister's answer. "May I be excused, Mum? I think I heard the post."  
  
"Of course, dear heart," Mrs. Evans said, absentmindedly picking up Lily's plate and listening to Petunia rant.  
  
Lily cut through the parlor to the front door. She picked up the letters that had fallen through the shiny mail slot onto the rug and began looking through them as she carried them back to the kitchen for Mum.  
  
Then a letter in a very old envelope with shimmering green ink caught her eye. To her surprise, it had her name and address, right down to her bedroom, written on it. With shaking hands, Lily opened the letter.  
  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)  
  
Dear Miss Evans,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress  
  
We await your owl? A school of witchcraft? Was this one of Petunia's elaborate jokes? She HAD been calling Lily a witch an awful lot lately. Deciding just to ignore the letter, Lily slowly pulled herself out of the slumping position she had been in on the floor and stuffed it under a couch cushion. She then carried the post into her mother as if everything was normal.  
  
"Here's the post, Mum," Lily said, handing her mother the usual stack of letters and bills.  
  
"Thank you dear," Mrs. Evans said, taking the pile from Lily and leaving Petunia an opportunity to escape.  
  
"I'm going to Clarissa's, I'll be back for dinner!" Petunia called, running out of the room.  
  
Mrs. Evans shook her head as she sank her ample frame into the kitchen chair.  
  
"I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here, Lily. Honestly, the way Petunia acts, you'd think this house was cursed or something." She laughed, a high, tinny sound, and Lily forced herself to smile. The letter had unnerved her a bit.  
  
"Mum, is there such a thing as magic?" Lily asked, hoping to hear the answer she had heard all of her life.  
  
"Well, dear, there are unexplainable things, things that we humans don't understand how they happen, like snow in July. I suppose that could be called magic, yes. But is there a school where people go and wave wands and say 'abracadabra' and turn people into ferrets? It's impossible, dear. We'd know if magic was real. The only magic that exists is the magic that lives in the human heart."  
  
"Why do you ask, dear?"  
  
"Nevermind, it's nothing, just another practical joke."  
  
"All right, dear. Do I want to know?"  
  
"It's not a BAD joke, this time. Petunia just pretended I'd gotten accepted to this school of witchcraft, that's all."  
  
"That wasn't a very nice thing to do. When she gets home from Clarissa's, I'm going to give her a talking to."  
  
"Mum, please don't. You know she's worse if she's been yelled at. Please, just let it be, and I'll just pretend I never got the letter. Okay?"  
  
"Darling, you know as well as I do that these practical jokes have got to stop. How are we going to make Petunia listen if we never reprimand her?"  
  
"If YOU never reprimand her, mother. Not I. And if you'd stop, just once, then maybe she wouldn't be so awful to both of us!" Lily pushed her chair back, letting it clatter to the wooden floor, as she ran up the stairs for her room in a fit of tears.  
  
Lily buried her face in her pillow and sobbed. A few moments later, she heard a soft rapping at her bedroom door.  
  
"Go away, Mum!" she said through her tears.  
  
"Lily, please, I'm sorry, I won't reprimand Petunia, please, just let me in."  
  
"NO! It's MY room. You leave it alone!"  
  
"Lily, please, I'm your mother. I have the key to unlock the door."  
  
"Fine, go get it. Ruin my life some more, see if I care."  
  
Mrs. Evans couldn't think of a proper response to that, so she sighed and went to fetch the key to the door.  
  
When she got back, she tried to put the key in the lock. To her surprise, the lock was too small for the key.  
  
"Maybe I've got the wrong key," Mrs. Evans thought as she went to get the rest of the keys. To her amazement, none of the keys she tried worked in the lock.  
  
"Lily, sweetheart, please come out of there. You might catch a cold."  
  
"In bed? Under quilts? Are you insane?"  
  
"Aren't you hungry, dear? I fixed you some chocolate ice cream."  
  
Lily bit her lower lip. Chocolate ice cream was her all-time favorite food.  
  
"I'm not hungry!" she screamed, using all her willpower. "Go away!"  
  
"All right, dear, but I'm putting the ice cream in the freezer for you to eat later."  
  
With that, Mrs. Evans went down the hall to her bedroom and pondered how to make her children behave. "If only Frank was still here," she thought, "he'd know what to do." With that thought, both Lily and Mrs. Evans fell into a deep sleep.  
  
***  
  
Lily was dressed in all black, a pointed hat on her head. She looked down at her fingers, and they were a bright green, as was the rest of her skin. She was clutching a broom, which was soaring across the night sky towards a top-secret witch meeting location.  
  
"I'll get you my pretty," Lily heard herself cackle to no one in particular. Suddenly, she lost her grip, and began falling, falling, falling through the sky, where there was only the sound of tapping to break her fall.  
  
Wait a minute, Lily thought, sitting straight up in bed. Tapping? In a falling dream?  
  
Something was definitely not right. Then Lily looked over to the window and saw a cat with odd markings around its eyes, tapping its tail on the windowpane.  
  
A/N: Ooo, a cliffie! Who is the cat and what is it doing at Lily's house? Will Lily make up with her Mum? Go to Hogwarts? Get Petunia in trouble? Only time will tell! The letter was taken verbatim from SS/PS. 


	3. Of Magic Cats

Disclaimer: JKR thought it, I filled in the gaps.  
  
Chapter Two - Of Magic Cats  
  
Lily climbed out of bed and walked towards the window, her feet padding gently on the carpet. When she reached the window, the cat stopped moving and sat and stared.  
  
Lily pulled her desk chair from across the room and pulled up a chair to stare at the cat. Then the cat did something very strange. It stood on its back two legs and encircled itself with the front two, almost as a human would if it were cold. Then the cat began to shake. Taking pity, Lily went to the window and opened it just a crack. The cat leapt into her arms.  
  
Lily shut the window with one hand, stroking the cat and crooning at it. "Poor little kitty. You must be hungry. I'll go make you some warm milk."  
  
"That won't be necessary, dear." Lily turned around and the cat was gone. In its place, a tall, severe woman of about seventy was staring at her.  
  
The woman muttered a word before Lily could scream. When she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. She then started yelling, screaming, but there was no sound.  
  
"Calm yourself, my dear. I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanted to make sure no one else was aware of my visit."  
  
"Who are you? Leave me alone!" Lily said, getting ready to threaten the older woman before she remembered she had no voice.  
  
At this, the woman smiled and laughed. "Oh, you'll be a Gryffindor for sure!"  
  
The woman laughed again at Lily's confused look.  
  
"I'm sorry, dear. Let me introduce myself. My name is Minerva McGonagall. I'm the head of Gryffindor house at Hogwarts, and I'm also the deputy headmistress.  
  
Lily remembered something. She inaudibly gasped, then pointed at a piece of paper on her desk.  
  
"Yes," the woman said, smiling more broadly, "it was I who sent you your letter. Now, if you nod your head that you won't scream, I'll remove the silencing charm."  
  
Lily nodded, flabbergasted, at the woman.  
  
"But I thought.I thought this was all a cruel hoax of my sister's. Magic doesn't exist! It's not real!"  
  
"My poor dear! Magic is VERY real. What have those Muggles been teaching you?"  
  
"Muggles?"  
  
"Our word for non-magical folk, Lily."  
  
Lily nodded. This couldn't be real. She was going to wake up, and she'd be in bed, and it would be morning, and there would be no more of this nonsense ever again.  
  
"I know what you're thinking, Lily. I thought it too, when I first got my letter. But you ARE a witch, and magic DOES exist. Watch."  
  
The woman pulled a long, thin stick out of her pocket and muttered something about wings to one of Lily's pencils. It floated above the woman, as if on her command. But that was impossible. Magic didn't exist.  
  
Lily walked over to the woman's stick, feeling it for the wire the woman must have tied to the stick.  
  
"There's no wire, dear. It is magic, whether you choose to believe me or not."  
  
"Magic only exists in fairy tales."  
  
"Is that so? How did I make the pencil float? How did I take away your voice so you couldn't scream?"  
  
"You're a hypnotist, you've hypnotized me."  
  
"My dear, Muggles really WILL go to any lengths to deny the existence of magic. Let's look at it a different way. Has anything strange ever happened to you when you were angry or upset?"  
  
"There was one time, when I was four.I thought my sister was drowning. And I was halfway across the lake, but I got to her much too fast."  
  
"And you don't honestly believe that this was a result of you swimming fast, do you dear?"  
  
"Well.not really, but what other explanation could there be? For eleven years, I've grown up learning magic doesn't exist. There's no way to explain the adjustments I'm going through right now."  
  
"I understand that, dear. And once you go to Hogwarts-for you WILL go to Hogwarts, even if I have to drag you there myself, you'll learn that magic is a real, powerful thing."  
  
"But how do I convince myself and my parents that magic really is real? I'm sure when I wake up in the morning I'll consider this all a very strange dream."  
  
"Even if you do, we will be sending a ministry official to your home in three days time to explain our world to you and your parents. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got other doubting Muggle-borns I must see before daylight. Good night, Miss Evans."  
  
Lily turned to bid the odd woman good night, but before she could, she heard a small pop. When she looked around her room, she found the woman had disappeared.  
  
*****  
  
Lily woke to the sunlight streaming through her open window.  
  
Odd, she thought. I don't remember leaving the window open last night. WAIT A MIN-  
  
"Lily! Lily darling! It's time to wake up! I made your favorite breakfast, waffles with whipped cream and chocolate chips!"  
  
"Coming, Mum," Lily replied before she remembered why she wasn't speaking to her mother.  
  
Lily paced her room, trying to decide what to do. On the one hand, if she went downstairs, she could tell Mum that magic really was real. On the other hand, if she went downstairs, she'd have to pretend she wasn't mad anymore.  
  
"Lily dear, your breakfast is getting cold," Mum sang up the stairs.  
  
"I'm coming, but only because I'm hungry, not because I like the company," Lily shouted back.  
  
Lily donned her traditional moping clothes-black jeans, a black turtleneck, a beret, and dark sunglasses, sucked in a breath, and went downstairs.  
  
"Freak," Petunia hissed at Lily.  
  
"Here you are girls," Mrs. Evans said, coming in from the kitchen and setting a plate in front of each of them. Lily glared in response. Unfortunately, this was ineffective, as she was wearing sunglasses.  
  
"Lily dear, please take off those sunglasses. I like to be able to see your eyes," Mrs. Evans said.  
  
"You may like a lot of things, mother, but that doesn't mean you get them," Lily hissed back.  
  
"Lily, you shouldn't talk to Mum that way. She's an adult to be respected and loved," Petunia said in a high falsetto, batting her eyelashes. "And she's not a freak," she growled across the table.  
  
"Petunia, stop calling your sister names. Lily, stop being a freak," Mrs. Evans said automatically.  
  
"MUM!" both girls protested.  
  
"Sorry dears, I just didn't sleep much last night. I was worrying about both of you."  
  
"Well, maybe you wouldn't be worrying if you stopped accusing people of things they didn't do!" Petunia shouted, running out the door and into the yard.  
  
Lily opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Mum began speaking.  
  
"Lily, dear, I know Petunia has been a pest to you lately, but please, don't accuse her of doing things she didn't do. I know you don't like her and she doesn't like you, but just once, can't the two of you pretend to get along?"  
  
"But Petunia's right, Mum," Lily said across the table. "I AM a freak."  
  
"No you aren't, dear. No girl of mine is a freak."  
  
"Yes I am, Mum. The letter I thought Petunia sent-it was for real. A woman appeared in my room, silenced me, and explained all about the school. They're sending someone to explain it to us in three days."  
  
"Lily, you know magic doesn't exist. I think you're letting a dream get your hopes up for nothing."  
  
"Mum, I KNOW what I saw. Magic does exist. Wait and see."  
  
"I will, dear. I'm quite interested to see this 'magic' for myself."  
A/N: Thanks for reviewing, Kat! 


	4. Floo to the Rescue!

Disclaimer: My name is not JKR, nor do I plan to change it. Therefore, these characters are obviously not mine.  
  
Chapter Three - Floo to the Rescue!  
  
The next two days passed relatively uneventfully. Lily tried to avoid her mother and Petunia as much as possible. When she awoke the third morning, she was surprised to find butterflies in her stomach.  
  
Someone will come, they just have to! she thought, hoping the strange woman in her room hadn't been a figment of her imagination.  
  
"Breakfast, Lily!" her mother called, forcing Lily to get out of her warm bed. Lily looked at the clothes in her closet and sighed. Nothing looked right. She didn't know what real witches and wizards wore, but she was willing to bet it wasn't jeans and a sweater. Angrily, she grabbed both off a hanger and changed for breakfast.  
  
Lily went downstairs to breakfast, picking at invisible lint on her sweater. Lily sat down, listening to Petunia chattering about some boy who was the love of her life. Mum was also strangely preoccupied, as she kept stirring her oatmeal and staring straight ahead at the wall.  
  
Lily sat at the kitchen table and watched the minutes on the clock tick by. Petunia seemed unaware of her sister's distraction, as she continued chattering merrily about boys in general.  
  
"I SAID, how about you, Lily?"  
  
"Huh?" Lily looked at her sister.  
  
"Were you even listening to a word I was saying? It doesn't matter. Mum will answer me, right Mum?"  
  
Mrs. Evans was still stirring her untouched oatmeal.  
  
"MUM!" Mrs. Evans started, then looked around guilty.  
  
"Yes, dear?" she said evasively, not exactly sure which of her daughters had addressed her.  
  
"I said I thought you were listening to me, but obviously I was wrong. What's wrong with you both, anyway?"  
  
Petunia wrinkled her brow in concentration. She really shouldn't do that, Lily thought, with her eyes stretched like that, she looks even more like a horse.  
  
"Ohh, I know," Petunia finally said. "Today's the day the freaks come have their pic-nic!" she sang, making up her own words to the "Teddy Bear's Picnic."  
  
"Petunia, you know how much I hate that song. Please dear, things are tense enough as they are.go to Clarissa's or something."  
  
"But Mum, I want to be here for the freak show.that is, IF the freaks show."  
  
"Petunia, please! This is a very stressful time for your sister and I. Just go away."  
  
"I know," Petunia continued in a brightly false voice, as if she'd heard nothing her mother had said, "I'll go to Clarissa's. She was supposed to be out of town today, but maybe that changed. And if she is out of town, I can always go find some boy to snog."  
  
"That's right dear, now run along," Mrs. Evans said.  
  
Petunia's eyes widened, and she left her half-eaten bowl of oatmeal on the table. After all, her mother had just given her permission to go snog boys. Wait until Clarissa heard about this!  
  
Lily and her mother finished their oatmeal. Mrs. Evans sat at the table, her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles were turning white. Lily didn't notice, as she was drumming her fingers on the table and glaring at the clock.  
  
"Lily, dear," her mother spat, "please stop that infernal racket."  
  
Lily looked down and realized she was drumming her fingers on the wooden table.  
  
"Yes, Mum."  
  
The two sat in silence for awhile. Mrs. Evans stared at the wall as Lily watched the hands on the clock go round and round. Finally, Lily broke the silence.  
  
"This is RIDICULOUS! They could show up at 7 o'clock tonight, and we'd still be here, sitting with breakfast. I for one am not going to waste my day. I'm going to my room to get Alice in Wonderland, then I'll be back, okay Mum?"  
  
"You're absolutely right, Lily dear. We've been sitting here for," she glanced at the clock...  
  
"Forty-three minutes, seventeen seconds," Lily supplied.  
  
"Exactly, dear. And what have we gotten done? Absolutely nothing. I'm going to wash these dishes, then I'll join you in the parlor and we'll wait for them to arrive."  
  
"All right, Mum."  
  
Both Lily and her mother left their empty bowls on the table, not thinking clearly enough to wash them. Lily took the stairs two at a time, racing to her desk to grab her book before someone came.  
  
Lily sprinted down the stairs to the parlor, where she plopped into an easy chair near the fireplace with her fingers clenched around the book. Alice was talking to the Cheshire cat, which was quite interesting, but somehow it didn't seem real anymore. She stared vacantly at a patch of carpet and began to pick at a piece of yarn on her sweater.  
  
The clock's chimes startled Lily. "Pop," it said, signaling the hour. Lily started, then looked up at the clock. Twelve thirty. But then how could the clock have signaled one o' clock? Unless she hadn't really heard a clock, it was impossible. But of course she had heard a clock. She was almost beginning to believe in this magic stuff. Lily looked down at her book, which had been opened to the same page for over four hours. Mrs. Evans was holding knitting needles and a half-completed blanket, but Lily knew she wasn't really knitting from the absence of the clicking sound of the needles.  
  
"Mum?" Lily questioned. "There's a man standing right in front of our fireplace." The man was dressed in a sort of robe of all black, though it was slightly shabby. He had hair as red as Lily's own, with a slight bald spot beginning to show at the back of his head.  
  
"Mrs. Evans, and Lily, I presume?" he said, oblivious to their looks of shock and confusion.  
  
"Yes, we are," Lily said, managing to recover her manners. "And you might be.?"  
  
"My name is Arthur Weasley. I'm a junior minister in the Ministry of Magic, Department of Muggle Affairs. I'm delighted to be here, with both of you. Now this house, it runs on ekletrcity? How does that work?"  
  
"There's no electricity in the Wizarding World? But then how do you run your televisions, record players, and telephones?" Lily asked, perplexed.  
  
"We don't have fellytones in the Wizarding World. There's no need. We have faster methods of communication. As for recurds, we have the WWN, or Wizards Wireless Network, which is something like your radio. But that's not that interesting. What I'm here to tell you about, is how our world works, and to perhaps get a glimpse into the Muggle world in return.  
  
"It's real.it's actually real? You mean this wasn't just some elaborate joke?" Mrs. Evans finally said.  
  
"No, ma'am. Witches and wizards have existed for centuries. You must have had some pretty powerful blood in your family at one point, for Lily to be like she is. But being a witch isn't a shameful thing, or a bad thing, despite the reputation we have with the Muggles. Being a witch or a wiz-"  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Weasel, did you say it was? But what exactly is a Muggle?"  
  
"It's Weasley, ma'am. And a Muggle is what wizards call non-magic people like yourselves. But as I was saying. Being a witch or a wizard comes with a great deal of power. This can never be taken away. What Lily will do, if she chooses to come into our world, is to use the power she already has to work for good."  
  
"Mr. Weasley, I hate to interrupt you, but I think you're mistaken. I don't have any power beyond that of any other human being. In fact, many would say I have less. I'm only eleven. I don't have any special abilities. I think you may have the wrong house, or the wrong girl."  
  
"Lily," Mr. Weasley said with concern and compassion in his eyes, "of course you have power. There's a magical registry, it records a magical person the minute they are born. You, my dear, are on the list. You may not realize the capabilities of your power yet, but they do exist, I assure you."  
  
"But what if I don't want to go to Hogwarts? I'm happy here. I have friends here. My life is fine just the way it is."  
  
"Then that decision will ultimately rest with you, Lily. But I wouldn't want to wonder what could have been for the rest of my life. I don't think you understand. This is difficult for me because magic for me is as big of a part of my life as eklectricity is to you."  
  
"It's ELECTRICITY, Mr. Weasel. E-L-E-C-T-R-I-C-I-T-Y! And I demand, no, I FORBID, you to speak to my daughter about all this magic nonsense. I'm not sending her to Hogwash School of Witches, or whatever it's called. You don't even understand the world my daughters and I live in. How can I expect you to know what's best for my daughter?" Mrs. Evans screamed.  
  
"Now, get out of my house this instant," Mrs. Evans said in an even whisper.  
  
"Yes, ma'am, but before I go, I'd like to let you know that an owl will be around in two weeks to await your response."  
  
"It will be NO!" Mrs. Evans yelled.  
  
"Lily," Mr. Weasley continued as if he had not heard, "if you have any questions, or are in need of any further assistance, please lean out your bedroom window and wiggle your nose three times. An owl will then arrive. If you address it to me, then I will respond to any concerns you may have. Now, I hope both of you have a pleasant day!"  
  
Mr. Weasley reached into his robe pocket, threw some sparkling powder into the fire, and with a popping sound, he disappeared.  
  
A/N: Thanks to Kat and anonymous for the reviews. Sorry this took so long, I was on spring break. 


	5. Doubts and Deliberations

Disclaimer: If I had a million dollars, I'd be JKR. But I don't, so I'm not.  
  
Chapter Four-Doubts and Deliberations  
  
Lily lay in bed, hands cupped under her head, staring up at the ceiling. Was Mr. Weasley right? Did she really have magic? If so, why didn't it ever work against Petunia? Shouldn't the magic have made her life easier?  
  
Sighing, Lily rolled over and faced the wall. If she really did have the magic, then shouldn't she go to Hogwarts? Didn't she owe it to herself? But what if she was right? What if she really didn't have the magic? Then what if she went to magic school? Everyone would make fun of her. She'd be a freak there, too.  
  
And if she went to magic school, she'd have to leave Mum and Petunia all alone. She didn't know if she could stand that. Lily had only been to sleepaway camp once, and that didn't really count, because Petunia was there, too.  
  
What should she do? Lily balled up her fists in frustration. And then, unbidden, a voice popped into her head. "If you have any questions, or are in need of any further assistance, please lean out your bedroom window and wiggle your nose three times," Mr. Weasley had said. It was almost as if he'd known something like this was going to happen.  
  
Reluctantly, Lily pushed the coverlet off her bed and stood, listening for any noise. If Mum caught her writing to "those magic freaks," it wouldn't be good. The house was silent, except for the slow drip, drip of the sink in the bathroom.  
  
Slowly, Lily cranked open her window. And then she froze. There was a loud, clanging noise coming from the parlor. Slowly, Lily's face broke out into a grin. She had to struggle not to laugh aloud. It was the grandfather clock chiming. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve. And then Lily really did have to bite her lip to keep from laughing. It was midnight, the witching hour.  
  
Lily stuck her head out the window, smiling, and wiggled her nose three times. A large tawny owl came zooming towards her. Lily reached out her arms and caught it, like a giant basketball falling from the sky. The owl looked at her expectantly. Lily looked right back at the owl, puzzled. The owl gave a low hoot of indignation and lifted its leg. Tied to it was a pouch with something in it. Curious, Lily tried to take it off, but she didn't see how it was attached to the owl's leg. Then the owl started nipping at her fingers until she moved them slowly away.  
  
Okay, so what did the owl want? Lily decided not to worry about it, then took out a sheet of her lined notebook paper from her school binder. Carefully, in the neat script she used to write her school essays, she wrote:  
  
Dear Mr. Weasley,  
  
But that didn't look right. This man wasn't "dear" to her. In fact, he was the reason her mother had locked her in her room without supper. So Lily took out another piece of paper and wrote:  
  
Mr. Weasley,  
  
Much better. Now, as to what to write with it. Lily contemplated a minute, her ballpoint poised in the air, then finally decided.  
  
Mr. Weasley,  
  
You said I should write to you if I had any questions. I'm writing this in the middle of the night, because my Mum wasn't over-enthusiastic about me going to wizard school. So if you could please make sure that if you reply to my question, no one but me sees it, that would be very helpful.  
  
What I wanted to ask you about is how do I know that I'm magic? You say I'm powerful, and that's all well and good, but how do I know that you're telling me the truth? What happens if I go to Hogwarts and I can't do magic? I don't want to be a freak, sir. Granted, my life here isn't perfect, but it's an imperfection I know. And if I have to leave my family, that's not something I'm looking forward to. Please, sir, show me some way to know I'm magic and I'll try to talk Mum into letting me go to magic school. If you don't, then I'll just assume this was a joke of some kind and forget the whole thing.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Lily Evans  
  
Lily set her pen down, satisfied. Before she could fold the letter, the owl came over and nudged her arm. Lily looked down at it, thoroughly perplexed now, as the owl hopped back and forth from one end of the paper to the other. Lily, finally cottoning on, began to grin as she rolled her letter up.  
  
"Could you take that to Arthur Weasley, please?" Lily asked the owl, not really expecting a response. But what she got instead was a soft hoot and a swoosh of wings, as the owl took off into the night.  
  
*****  
  
She was in the middle of the forest, and there was rain. The trees seemed to be weeping, mourning someone or something. A sharp driving piece of rain kept hitting her wrist, tapping faster and faster, until it was three times as fast as the other raindrops. But that didn't make any sense.  
  
Groggily, Lily blinked open her eyes. A smaller grey owl was tapping at her wrist. "OH!" Lily thought, as she noticed he was holding out a leg with parchment on it to her.  
  
Dear Lily,  
  
I do hope Errol reaches you before breakfast. He's my family owl instead of my work owl, but as I only got him about a year ago, he should be there before you wake. The answer to your question, Lily, lies in your ability to have the owl come to you when you wiggled your nose. If Petunia or your mother did it, absolutely nothing would happen. This alone proves you're a witch.  
  
What happens if you go to Hogwarts if you can't do magic? Why, absolutely nothing, Lily. If you go to Hogwarts and you can't do magic, there's a sort of induction process to let you know this. You'll be there for all of five minutes. The other children will barely get to know you, Lily, so it won't matter to them, or to you, whether or not you can do magic. But you can, Lily. This letter is proof. You now know how to send wizard mail.  
  
As for leaving your family, it is a difficulty every person must face at one time in their life. Personally, it is better to get it out of the way when you are young and have the opportunity to make more friends. And while you will be leaving your family, the induction process at Hogwarts puts you with some classmates that will have all your classes and live in your dormitory. It's an opportunity to gain another family, not lose your other one. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me by owl. I have enclosed some wizarding money. You're supposed to give two of the bronze coins (Knuts) to the owl and put them in its pouch when you send it somewhere.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Arthur Weasley Junior Minister Ministry of Magic, Dept. of Magical Affairs  
  
Lily sighed, then shoved the letter under her mattress, hoping her mother wouldn't find it. She was not a moment too soon, for there was a tapping at the door. Lily walked over to open it, but then she remembered the owl.  
  
"Hide!" she hissed, running over to her closet and opening the door. The owl gave her an annoyed look, then flew into the closet and hid.  
  
"Just a second!" Lily called shakily. She hoped her mother wouldn't hold a grudge because she was slow opening the door. But when she padded barefoot to the door, it wasn't her mother's plump frame at all. Instead, it was her father.  
  
A/N: What, you didn't think I'd killed Mr. Evans off, did you?  
  
Kat, the "Wiggle your nose" thing is from the classic tv show Bewitched, which came out in 1964, about four years after Lily was born. I just thought it was cute, especially after her Muggleish dream, for something Muggle to really work in a wizard spell. 


	6. A Return and an Explanation

Disclaimer: JKR is an old man who lives at the school, and I am a rich and famous author. Or not. (Sorry to all the non-Simpsons fans out there who totally didn't understand that.)  
  
Chapter 5 - A Return and an Explanation  
  
"Lillikins! How has my little girl been?" Mr. Evans said, scooping his slightly shocked daughter up and embracing her in a hug.  
  
"I'm okay, Dad. But I thought you weren't getting home 'til Sunday."  
  
"Well, I wasn't. But then the drills I was supposed to deliver, from a new firm called Groanings, or something like that, all fell apart and had to be completely rebuilt. So as there were no drills to truck across the country, there was obviously no need for me to keep driving my truck."  
  
"I'm just glad you're home," Lily said, burying her face into his neck.  
  
"And how have you been, Lily? You didn't cause any trouble for your mother, did you?"  
  
"Well, not exactly." Lily began.  
  
"Frank!" Mrs. Evans squealed as she came up the stairs to wake the girls for breakfast.  
  
"Huh? What's goin'on?" A sleepy Petunia opened her bedroom door, frantically trying to smooth her sleep-tousled hair. Her expression of puzzlement quickly turned to annoyance as she saw Lily wrapped up in Mr. Evans's arms.  
  
"Daddy!" Petunia squealed, pushing past her mother and running towards him.  
  
Mr. Evans set Lily gently back on the ground. "And how's the favorite Petunia in my family garden?"  
  
Petunia rolled her eyes. "Daaad, you know I'm not a little kid anymore."  
  
"That's right, Petunia, I'm sorry. You're growing like a weed, er, flower."  
  
"That joke was old when I was two," Petunia said icily.  
  
There was an uncomfortable pause. "Well, dears, shall we go down to breakfast? I made your favorite, Frank, scrambled eggs," Mrs. Evans said, a little too brightly.  
  
"I can always depend on my women," he said, giving his wife a quick peck on the cheek.  
  
Lily followed her parents down the stairs as Petunia's door slammed shut. "I'll be down in a second, I'm changing into something gorgeous!" "As long as you're as beautiful as a flower, I don't care what you wear," Mr. Evans called up the stairs, eliciting a groan from Lily.  
  
A few minutes later, seated around scrambled eggs, Mr. Evans cleared his throat. "I know I haven't seen you for weeks, and all you probably want to do is tell me everything that happened. I know I want to know exactly what occurred. But before you do, I have an announcement to make. Todd is merging the company with another trucking company, Ted's, so he needs someone to supervise all the truckers. He chose me. That means that I'll get to stay here, in Little Whinging, instead of going out on the road all the time."  
  
"That's absolutely wonderful, dear!" Mrs. Evans squealed, reaching across the table to hug him.  
  
"I'm really happy for you, Dad. Does it come with a bigger salary?" Petunia asked.  
  
"Yes, dear, it does, which means more presents for everyone!"  
  
"Ooh, I need a whole new wardrobe! My clothes are too small already. I really must be growing fast."  
  
Lily snorted. Petunia's clothes fit absolutely perfectly.  
  
"What's the matter, dear?" Mrs. Evans asked Lily, who was stabbing her eggs with her fork.  
  
"Nothing, I'm fine."  
  
"Don't you want to congratulate your father?" Mrs. Evans prompted again.  
  
"Congratulations, Dad. It's really great," Lily said in a voice completely devoid of emotion.  
  
"Lilyyyyy," Mr. Evans said, in a mock-warning tone. "You should tell us what's wrong, before I let Mr. Tickle out of his cage. He's gonna getcha, gonna getcha," Mr. Evans teased, curling his hands and tickling the air.  
  
"It's nothing. I'm really glad you got the promotion, Dad. May I be excused?" Lily asked, putting her fork down with a clatter and scrapping her chair back against the linoleum.  
  
"I see how much you love your father, Lily. You can't even have a civil meal with him. Maybe you should just go run away to that freak school. Nobody here would miss you," Petunia hissed.  
  
Tears began to pool in Lily's eyes. This was exactly what she was afraid was going to happen. Mr. Weasley was wrong. If she left, she'd lose her family. She couldn't go. She couldn't.  
  
"Excuse me," Lily choked out, running to her bedroom and slamming the door.  
  
"Freak school? What is going on here? And I thought I told you not to call your sister a freak," Mr. Evans said sternly.  
  
"I'm sorry, Daddy, but she can't help what she is. The next thing you know, that witch will come home, her pockets full of frogspawn."  
  
"Petunia! That's a horrible thing to say. Don't call your sister a witch."  
  
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Petunia said, dropping her head and pretending to be sorry.  
  
"Anyway, Petunia, we've already discussed this. Lily isn't leaving home for some weird world that doesn't even use electricity. She's staying here, with us."  
  
"Would someone stop and tell me what the heck is going on?" Mr. Evans yelled, his temper finally getting the better of him.  
  
"Petunia, darling, why don't you run along to Clarissa's. Your father and I have some boring grown up things we need to discuss alone."  
  
"Of course, mother. Why would I want to be here in a room where you were discussing boring grown up things?" Petunia said, completely sarcastic. "After all, it's not as if I'm nearly one myself!"  
  
"Petunia, darling, we didn't mean it that way," Mrs. Evans soothed.  
  
"Of course you didn't, mother." Petunia spat. "And if you need me to leave so you can discuss precious LILY, by all means, just say so."  
  
Petunia turned to her father. "And of course you wouldn't say a word in my defense, you're too worried about what trouble your precious Lily could have gotten into. Well, don't mind me, I'm going to Clarissa's," Petunia got up from the table, and went to the door, slamming it on her way out.  
  
"Oh dear," Mrs. Evans sighed.  
  
"Oh dear indeed, dear. But as long as it doesn't look like rain, dear, everything is fine."  
  
"FRANK!" Mrs. Evans chided, throwing a balled up napkin at him. "This isn't the time to be punny, er, funny."  
  
Mr. Evans sighed. "All right, so what happened? Did Lily get expelled? Is that why Petty called it a freak school?"  
  
"No dear, it's much stranger than that. You see, about a week ago, Lily brought in the post. When she got it, there was an envelope, addressed to her in with the bills. She opened it, and it was a letter to a magic school. She and I both thought it was one of Petunia's tricks at first, so we just ignored it, and I yelled at Petunia.  
  
"But then a man came out of the fireplace, and said that magic was real. I was shocked, and a bit stunned, so I yelled at him to go away and leave Lily alone. But apparently magic is real. And now I don't know what to do. Lily's simply furious with me because I won't let her go to that magic school. And she wants to go. But how can we send our eleven-year-old daughter, our youngest daughter, out into a world we didn't even know existed?"  
  
"You mean a world you didn't know existed, dear. What was the name of this magic school, again?"  
  
"Oh-Hogwarts, dear."  
  
"Lily got accepted to Hogwarts? And you don't want her to go? Are you mad?" Mr. Evans pushed his chair back from the table and began and impromptu dance around it.  
  
"Frank, is there something you're not telling me?" Mrs. Evans asked.  
  
Mr. Evans stopped dancing and sat back down. "Well, you see, dear, when I was a little boy, my grandmother could do the most unnatural things. Like I'd ask for tea, and not a minute later, a full pot would come zooming through the air into Grammy's hands. One day, I asked her about it, and she finally admitted to me that she was a witch."  
  
Mrs. Evans gasped.  
  
"Not a witch like you're thinking of, dear, but a person who could do good and kind things simply by thinking about them. And if Lily has this talent, we can't deny her the opportunity of going to school just because we're afraid for her."  
  
"So-so witches don't go around and eat children? They don't turn on our communities and steal things, then ride their broomsticks off into the night? The gentleman who came to talk to us kept saying things about Lily's power. I thought he was going to turn her into his minion of evil or something."  
  
"No, dear," Mr. Evans said, laughing. "Witches are very powerful, but most of them do really good things, for their community and for ours. There are, of course, evil witches and wizards, but that happens in any society."  
  
"Oh. This makes so much more sense than that other gentleman." Mrs. Evans said. "Could you repeat that again, please?" Mr. Evans asked, a hint of mischief in his eyes.  
  
"Which part?"  
  
"The part where you admitted I actually made sense!"  
  
"Oh, dear. Why do I put up with you?" Mrs. Evans asked affectionately.  
  
"Because you love me, silly."  
  
"Oh, bother. I forgot."  
  
"You forgot? You forgot that you loved me?"  
  
"Of course not, dear. I could never forget you."  
  
"I missed you, darling."  
  
"I missed you, too."  
  
The two sat in silence for a moment, simply glad to be with their spouse again.  
  
"Well, my beautiful wife," Mrs. Evans beamed at her husband's compliment, "what are we sitting around here for? Shall we go talk to Lily? Tell her she can go?"  
  
"We probably should, dear."  
  
"Okay, then, let's go."  
  
A/N: Thanks for reviewing, Kat. You inspired me to get this out so quickly.  
  
So Mr. Evans came to save the day. Is the story moving too slowly? Or is it good to actually see Lily's life pre-Hogwarts for once? Bearing any unforeseen mishaps, she'll be on the Hogwarts Express in a few chapters. Is there anyone you'd like to see more of? Less of? If anyone wants to be put on an email list to be notified when this is updated, let me know in a review or email. Thanks so much to all my readers! 


	7. Pockets full of Frogspawn

Disclaimer: (sung to the tune of BINGO) There was a woman named JKR, and she had lots of money. M-O-N-E-Y. M-O-N-E-Y. M-O-N-E-Y, and Rita Skeeter was not her name-o.  
  
Chapter 6 - Pockets full of Frogspawn  
  
Lily sat in her room, stroking the young owl Mr. Weasley had sent. She wanted to learn magic, to be a part of the magical world, more than anything, but she couldn't leave her family, especially after what Petunia had said.  
  
Lily took a piece of toast she had shoved up her sleeve and offered it to the owl who began to gobble it up gratefully. There were so many reasons to go to Hogwarts, but many more to stay here, especially now that her father was home.  
  
Snippets of conversation began floating up the stairs. Lily heard her name and the word "grown-up." Lily got up from her chair and put on a record, turning the volume up as loud as she could. Lily sat silently, mouthing the words and singing into her microphone pencil, as the owl softly hooted and hopped around on the carpet.  
  
"Lily? Lily-billy bo billy, don't make me be silly," Mr. Evans called, turning the doorknob.  
  
"Just a second, Dad." Lily picked up Mr. Weasley's owl and put it on the windowsill. "Shoo! Shoo, little owl!" Lily tried to shove the owl out the window, but it hooted and landed gently on her shoulder.  
  
"Get in the closet, then!" Lily said, not very softly, as she hurried to hide Errol before her father managed to unlock the door.  
  
"Lily? Is everything okay in there?" Mr. Evans questioned, all traces of silliness gone.  
  
"Just super, Dad," Lily said, a hint of worry and exasperation in her voice. Finally, the pesky owl got off her shoulder long enough for her to slam it in the closet. Lily walked across the room, turned off her record player, and finally went to unlock the door.  
  
"Dad, Mum, absolutely thrilled to see you," Lily said, gesturing them into her room with a little bow.  
  
"Lily, we need to have a serious chat," Mr. Evans said, as his wife went over to the closet door and flung it open.  
  
"Mum! Don't-" Lily started, as Errol flew out of the closet, hooting loudly, and then out the window.  
  
"Lily! I'm shocked at you! Were you writing to the Weasel fellow, after I told you it was not allowed?"  
  
"Well, I-" Lily started.  
  
"Are you really that intent on going to Hogwarts, Lily?" Mr. Evans asked, much more softly and more somberly than he usually spoke.  
  
Lily looked back into his eyes and slowly nodded. "I don't know. Mr. Weasley thinks I have a lot of talent. And I'd like to find out how to use it. But I'm not ready to leave you and Mum and Petunia. A part of me never wants to leave."  
  
"Well, Lily, what if we said you could go for a year? And if you like it, as I suspect you will, you can stay, but if you don't, you don't have to go back," Mr. Evans replied.  
  
"You'd really let me go? You'd really let me go? I don't have to go back to primary school anymore? I get to learn how to use my power?"  
  
"Yes Lily, we'd really let you go," Mrs. Evans said, smiling at her daughter's enthusiasm. "So now all we do is wait for Mr. Weasley to write back."  
  
"I'm going to Hogwarts! I'm going to Hogwarts!" Lily sang, dancing around the room.  
  
"That you are, Lily." Mr. Evans said. "That you are."  
  
*****  
  
Two weeks later, a bouncing Lily was following Mr. Weasley into a dingy looking tavern, pulling on her parents's arms to guide them. She didn't understand why they didn't follow her, but they looked almost as if they couldn't see it.  
  
"Mr. Weasley, how good to see you," the innkeeper called from the bar. "And who is this with you?"  
  
"I'm Lily Evans, sir." Lily said timidly, a bit in awe to be surrounded by so many witches and wizards. "And I just found out that I'm a witch."  
  
The other patrons of the bar had gone quiet at this remark. Some of them were openly showing their wands in a menacing fashion.  
  
"Come on Lily, Mr. and Mrs. Evans," Mr. Weasley said sharply as he began walking very fast and leading them to a brick wall. "Now, stand right there.let's see now." Mr. Weasley trailed off in thought, as if he was trying to remember something. Then he said, "Of course!" and tapped a brick in the wall three times.  
  
Lily gasped as the wall opened into an archway, revealing a street filled with shops.  
  
There were shops on either side of the street, filled with magical, marvelous things Lily had never imagined existed. She kept turning round and round, gaping at the funnily dressed people and the things for sale. There was a barrel full of beetle eyes sitting outside a shop, the black eyes glinting in the sunlight. A new broomstick sat in a window, and two boys about her age with black hair stood nudging each other and pointing at it. Someone walking by said, "Mudbloods," in a low voice, shaking his white-blonde head at her and her family.  
  
"Excuse me? Mr. Weasley?" The adults stopped their conversation and looked down at Lily. "Er-what does Mudblood mean?"  
  
"Just where did you hear that word?" Mr. Weasley said, in a much sharper voice than she expected.  
  
"There was a boy, walking by, and he said it. I don't know what it means."  
  
Mr. Weasley was shaking with anger. "You just ignore people like that, Lily. That's a very mean word, one that shouldn't exist. Just-just don't think about it again." He changed the tone of his voice as they arrived at a bank. "Ah, here we are. Gringotts. Everyone come on, then."  
  
Mr. Weasley led her parents up to a counter where there were goblins, but Lily only half paid attention. What did that word mean? And why wouldn't Mr. Weasley tell her? It's not as if she was going to say the word, she just wanted to know what it meant.  
  
"Lily? Are you even paying attention? Now, this is what you'll need to know. There are 29 Knuts (Mr. Weasley held up a coin) to a sickle and 17 sickles (he held up another coin) to a Galleon (Mr. Weasley held up a gold, shiny coin). Now this is your key to your vault, in case you ever need money or you can't get home to convert the money. Now, let's go to Flourish and Blotts."  
  
The next two hours passed in a blur for Lily. She soon found herself laden with books, new robes, a cauldron, and all sorts of other magical apparatuses. At last, Mr. Weasley stopped in front of a narrow and shabby looking shop.  
  
The gold letters called it "Ollivanders-Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC."  
  
"Is this where I'm going to get my wand?" Lily asked, looking at the shop in disdain.  
  
"You can't beat Ollivanders for wands, Lily. Now, shall we go inside?"  
  
Lily nodded, suddenly shy.  
  
"Ah, yes, Miss Evans," a voice said at her shoulder. Lily looked at the old man in shock. "You surely didn't think I didn't know you, did you? When those who have heard young Sybill's prediction," the old man trailed off. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. Now let's see, a wand for you. Hold out your wand hand."  
  
Lily held out her left hand, waiting for whatever he was going to do. But instead, a tape measure started measuring her arm, in between her nose, and every other measurement imaginable.  
  
"Here, try this. Twelve and a half inches, yew. Nice wand for transfiguration."  
  
Lily picked up the wand, but nothing happened.  
  
"Oh, no bother, here, try this," he said, shoving a black wand into her hand. Lily gave it a small wave, but simply knocked a whole stack of wands off the shelf.  
  
"Oops," Lily said, expecting him to be angry, but he was smiling.  
  
"Not quite yet, Miss Evans. Here, try this."  
  
The wand was slim, made of willow. Lily gave it a wave and it shot blue and red sparks.  
  
"Good, Miss Evans, very good indeed. That particular wand is ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, willow, nice for charm work. I think you may be very good at charms, very good indeed," Ollivander said, smiling to himself.  
  
Lily paid him for her wand, and left the shop.  
  
"Well, Miss Evans," Mr. Weasley said after leading her family back to the Leaky Cauldron, "it's time for me to go. Here's your ticket for the train, I trust you'll be there before 11 on the first of September. Have a good summer!"  
  
"Well, my little witch," Mr. Evans said, hailing a taxi for the ride home, "shall we go home?"  
  
Lily nodded, half asleep, as she crawled into the taxi with her parents.  
  
***** Two weeks later, Lily, Petunia, and their parents were crawling into a taxi headed for King's Cross. The driver gave them an odd look at Lily's trunk stuffed full of belongings, but he didn't ask any questions.  
  
Mrs. Evans sat clutching Lily protectively, practically having kittens because she was going to lose her "poor little baby," for a whole year.  
  
"Honestly, Mum, I'll be home for Christmas."  
  
"And if you're lucky, Lily might even send you some frog spawn as a present!" Petunia cackled, clearly resentful at being forced to see her sister off.  
  
"Honestly, Petunia, you could be a bit more civil to your sister. She is leaving us for an entire term," Mrs. Evans said, breaking down into tears again.  
  
"Yes, and what a horrible loss it is, too."  
  
"Petunia!" Mr. Evans chided, "apologize to your sister."  
  
"I'm sorry you're such a freak, Lily. Have fun at that freak school. I know I won't miss you, but maybe Mum and Dad will."  
  
Lily didn't say anything, just nodded at her sister's words. So this was how Petunia really felt about her leaving. Perhaps if she sent her some presents, and lots of letters, Petunia wouldn't be so mean.  
  
"King's Cross Station," the taxi driver said, as if he hadn't heard a word of the weird conversation. Lily got out of the car as the man put her trunk on a cart.  
  
"Lily, dear, what platform are you on?" Mrs. Evans asked.  
  
Lily pulled her ticket out of her pocket.  
  
"Platform Nine and 3/4."  
  
"Nine and 3/4? But that's impossible." Mrs. Evans said, taking the ticket from Lily.  
  
"Oh, dear, freaky Lily's freaky friends messed up, and now she can't go to magic school!" Petunia said, perhaps a bit more loudly than necessary.  
  
"Petunia!" Mr. Evans chided. "This is serious!"  
  
"No, sir," a boy with dark messy hair said, "this is Sirius, and I'm James Potter."  
  
"Are you a Muggleborn?" James asked Lily.  
  
Lily nodded.  
  
"Cool!" The boys exclaimed together. "We've always wanted to meet one," James said,  
  
"But we were never allowed to see one." Sirius finished.  
  
"So follow us," James said  
  
"To Platform 9 and ¾!" Sirius said.  
  
Lily looked slightly disturbed at their odd behavior.  
  
"Don't worry, Lily, was it?" Sirius said in the first complete sentence she'd heard.  
  
"We'll show you the way!" James completed.  
  
The two boys led the family to the barrier between platforms nine and ten.  
  
"Well, this is where we leave you," Sirius said.  
  
"All you do to get on the platform is run straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten, but only magical people can get through, so we'll leave you"  
  
"To say your goodbyes!" Sirius said, smiling, as he and James waved and ran straight through the barrier and disappeared.  
  
"Well, goodbye, Mum, Dad, Petunia," Lily said, hugging each of them in turn. I'll see you at Christmas."  
  
"Goodbye, Lily!" Mrs. Evans said, sniffling. "Be a good girl!"  
  
"Make us proud!" Mr. Evans called.  
  
Lily smiled and nodded at them all as she started running quickly with her cart. She was too close to the wall, she was going to crash!  
  
But instead, she opened her eyes, gaping at the new scenery surrounding her as she crossed the magical barrier into the wizarding world at last.  
  
A/N: Thanks for the review, Kat. 


	8. The Sorting Hat

Disclaimer: I have no money. JKR has money. Take hers.  
  
Chapter 7 - The Sorting Hat  
  
Lily looked with envy at the families hugging and kissing their children goodbye outside the train. She had put on a brave face for her parents, but now that she was here, she wasn't sure she wanted to go. What if the other kids teased her, called her-what was the word? Mudblood. That was it. It was one thing to be teased at home, where she could go home and cry to Mum, but quite another to be teased here, where no one knew her.  
  
Sighing, Lily picked up her trunk and headed for the train. Lily set her trunk in the first empty compartment she saw, then she sat and stared at the window, watching the families. Would Mum and Dad miss her tonight? Would Petunia? Or would it be as Petunia said, and her parents would forget to think about her?  
  
"Is this compartment taken?" Lily looked up into the hook-nosed face of a boy about her own age, a boy with greasy hair and sallow skin.  
  
Lily weighed the decision in her mind. He didn't look like the sort of boy she wanted to get involved with, but she also didn't want people to think she was a snob on her very first day. Besides, it was a train. Besides making her feel creepy, what else could he do?  
  
"Sure, go ahead," Lily said, motioning to the empty seats around her. The boy set his trunk down and started staring at the window, looking almost as sad as Lily.  
  
After about a minute of this, Lily couldn't take it. She didn't know how long the train ride was, but sitting in the train staring out the window the entire time would not make for a very fun ride.  
  
"What's your name?" Lily asked in a small voice. "Mine's Lily."  
  
"I'm Severus," the boy said, "Severus Snape."  
  
"It's nice to meet you, Severus."  
  
"Nice to meet you, too, Lily. What did you say your last name was?"  
  
"Evans. Lily Evans."  
  
"I've never heard that name before. Were your mum and dad wizards?" Severus asked, a slight sneer in his voice now.  
  
"No, they weren't. In fact, I just found out I was a witch about two months ago."  
  
"Really? That's fascinating." Severus said, definite sarcasm in his voice now. "I must go, I can't be seen in THIS compartment."  
  
"But Sev-" Lily called, but the boy had already turned on his heel and out of her compartment.  
  
What had she done wrong? Did wizards not ask each other their names? Was it rude? No, she didn't think so, because that Potter boy had said his name. Well, then, what could she have done wrong? Lily began staring out the window again, trying to determine what she could do differently with the next person.  
  
"Hi, can I sit there?" A girl about Lily's age with long, stringy hair pointed at the seat across from her.  
  
"Sure, go ahead."  
  
"I'm Narcissa," the girl said.  
  
Lily sighed in relief. At least someone else would talk to her. "Lily," she said, offering her hand.  
  
Narcissa stared at it for a second, then shook it. "I've never really shook someone's hand before," she said.  
  
"I've never really been on a train before," Lily said, as she felt the lurch that meant the train had started moving.  
  
"But there are trains all over the country! How did you ever go anywhere?"  
  
"My dad's a truck driver. We drove."  
  
"A truck driver? Are you Muggle?"  
  
Lily felt her face flush, though she didn't know why, as she nodded.  
  
Narcissa sighed self-importantly. "My family's had wizards for six generations. Nothing but quality witches and wizards. Of course, there are some that will tell you that our "quality" is not what one should look for, but-" Narcissa broke off into laughter.  
  
Lily was puzzled. "What do you mean?"  
  
Narcissa laughed again. "I forget how little Muggles know of our world. There are two kinds of witches, Lily. Those that are ambitious and seek to find power, and those that are weak and do not. Surely you want to be good at being a witch, don't you?"  
  
"Of course I do, Narcissa."  
  
Narcissa laughed again. "Good. Not all Muggleborns are as stupid as my father claimed."  
  
"What's wrong with being a Muggleborn? I think it's great because I get to experience both worlds."  
  
Narcissa snorted, then looked around, horrified that anyone else could have heard the undignified noise. "What's wrong with being a Muggleborn? They're foul, disgusting creatures that want to abuse our power and ruin the world we've built for ourselves."  
  
"Um, Narcissa? Don't we live on the same planet, so technically, in the same world?"  
  
There was no answer.  
  
"Narcissa? Are you okay? I didn't mean to make you mad."  
  
"I'm not mad. I'm just not talking to you."  
  
Lily swallowed. Why did everyone she met have to act this way towards her, just because of something she couldn't even control? But then again, why should she worry? Maybe there was a way to get Narcissa to like her after all.  
  
"Um, I hate to point this out, Narcissa, but you just talked to me, technically."  
  
"I did not! I was talking-I was talking out loud, to myself."  
  
"Really? And who were you talking to just now?"  
  
Narcissa stamped her foot on the ground, a sure sign of her frustration.  
  
"That's what I thought," Lily said, smug. "Now, how about we forget all this rubbish about who had what witches in their family, and just sit here and get to know each other."  
  
Narcissa grinned. "All right. Do you wanna play Exploding Snap?"  
  
"Exploding what?"  
  
"Exploding Snap. It's a wizard game. Here, I'll teach you."  
  
And Narcissa pulled the pack out of her trunk and began teaching Lily how to play.  
  
*****  
  
A few hours later, in the midst of the 22nd game of Exploding Snap, an older boy burst into the compartment. He had long, silvery hair, and a badge that said prefect on his chest.  
  
"I'm to tell you we're to be arriving at Hogwarts in fifteen minutes, and to ask you to change into your robes."  
  
The boy stopped, seeing the girls in the compartment for the first time, and sneered. "I would've thought you'd do better than that, Narcissa. Hanging out with this kind of filth." The boy pointed at Lily who turned red and then started staring out the window.  
  
"She's not filth, Lucius. She's really quite nice."  
  
"Nice? You're calling a Mudblood nice? Don't you know what we're fighting for? How can you say that?"  
  
"Because she's a witch now, just the same as me. Now you leave us alone. We need to change."  
  
Lucius sighed, rolled his eyes, and stormed out of the compartment, his robes billowing behind him.  
  
"Thanks, Narcissa," Lily said.  
  
"No problem, Lily, but don't expect me to stick up for you like that at school. I have an image to maintain."  
  
Lily bit her lip. She'd hoped Narcissa would be her friend no matter what. "I understand."  
  
"Good, now let's get changed and ready to go to school."  
  
The two girls changed clothes, then they both plastered their faces to the window, looking for the first sign of the castle.  
  
"I think I see it!" Lily shouted, jumping on the seat in her excitement.  
  
"Where?" Narcissa asked, running to Lily's side.  
  
Lily pointed and Narcissa gasped. Lily agreed with her. The castle was huge, with many turrets and windows.  
  
The train stopped.  
  
"Do you think we're supposed to leave our trunks on the train?" Lily asked.  
  
Narcissa peered out the window at the other students. "Yes, I think so."  
  
The two girls stepped out of the train and looked around dazedly. "First years, first years over here!" a man called.  
  
The two girls walked over to him and got in long boats that were in a lake, ready to take them across to the castle.  
  
Two girls Lily didn't know got into the boat with her and Narcissa. One of them had spirally blonde hair, and the other had dark, straight black hair.  
  
No one said much beyond "hi," they were all too busy gaping up at the castle.  
  
Perhaps that was why they didn't notice a boat full of boys scooping up lake water and aiming it at their heads with water guns the boys made from their hands.  
  
They hit the curly girl first, in the back of the head.  
  
She shrieked. Lily, Narcissa, and the dark-headed girl turned, all to get hit square in the face with water.  
  
Lily was mad. She forgot she was in a lake, on a boat. She stood up, getting ready to march right over to the boys and scream at them.  
  
"Lily, no!" Narcissa said, pulling on the bottom of her robes to try and get her to sit down. But instead, Lily lost her balance and fell over the edge.  
  
"Lily!" Narcissa exclaimed, reaching her hand out into the water.  
  
Lily, dripping wet, climbed back into the boat, and she suddenly became aware of loud laughter.  
  
"What are your names?" Lily called across to the boat that had hit her with water.  
  
"I'm Jim Nassium!" a boy with dark hair called.  
  
"You are not, I am!" another boy who looked similar called.  
  
Lily looked at them more closely. "No you're not! You're Sirius Black and James Potter!"  
  
"I KNEW there was a reason not to help people through the platform," Sirius said to James.  
  
There wasn't time for more discussion, as the boats suddenly reached the castle. Everyone was quiet now, as they were led through the doorway into a hallway.  
  
"First years, I'm Professor McGonagall," a stern-looking woman said. Lily started, then realized it was the cat-woman who had showed up in her room before she came to Hogwarts. "I'm the transfiguration teacher here at Hogwarts, and I'm also in charge of Gryffindor house, one of the four Hogwarts houses. Your house will be like your family here. Your triumphs will earn you points, and your failures will lose points for your house. You will eat and attend classes with your house. Now, I will give you a few minutes to freshen up before you will go in and be Sorted for your house." Here Professor McGonagall paused, scrutinizing them all.  
  
"Good heavens, Miss Evans, was there a problem coming across the lake?"  
  
Lily blushed as the entire roomful of people stared at her sopping wet hair and robes.  
  
"No, ma'am, I just-fell out."  
  
Professor McGonagall hmpphed. "Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?"  
  
"Yes, ma'-"  
  
But before Lily could finish the sentence, Professor McGonagall had waved her wand, and Lily was as dry as she had been on the train.  
  
"Thank-thank you."  
  
"You're quite welcome, Miss Evans," Professor McGonagall said. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, do you find something comical about Miss Evans's appearance? Did you perhaps have something to do with it?" Professor McGonagall's voice turned harder, and her mouth went very thin.  
  
"Yes, ma'am," both boys said, looking at their shoes.  
  
"Well, it will be a detention for each of you. It would be 5 points apiece from your house, but as you haven't been assigned one, that would hardly be fair. Now follow me, everyone, it's time for the Sorting."  
  
Lily and the other first years followed Professor McGonagall to a large, cavernous room that seemed to have no ceiling. Lily looked up at it, but before she could examine it more closely, Professor McGonagall brought out a hat and set it on a three-legged stool. A rip in its brim suddenly opened wide, and it began to sing:  
  
A thousand years ago or more Before the students came In this castle, I was born To four wizards of some fame.  
  
The founders shared their hopes and dreams With me before they died So put me on your head So I can see where you'll reside!  
  
You might belong in Gryffindor Where chivalry and bravery begin These two characteristics You possess as twins.  
  
You might belong in Hufflepuff Where hard work is the best The Hufflepuff's loyalty and toil Sets them apart from all the rest.  
  
You might belong in Ravenclaw Where the smartest students start Their ability to gauge situations Is what will set them apart.  
  
You might belong in Slytherin The house of great ambition Those in this house decide This is their greatest mission.  
  
So don't be afraid to put me on your head Don't be scared of what you'll find For though I'm only a hat I can read your mind!  
  
Lily stared, wide-eyed, at the hat, as Professor McGonagall called the first name from the hat. Lily was so astonished she hardly noticed that Sirius Black, the boy who had gotten in trouble, was called to Gryffindor, to many cheers.  
  
A few names later, and Lily was called to the stool. On shaking legs, she walked up to the stool and sat down.  
  
"Ahh, Miss Evans. A nice thirst to prove yourself, I see. And plenty of knowledge. But this is all superseded by your bravery. The incident in the hall proves you're loyal, not willing to snitch, well, better be GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
The last word was shouted out to the entire hall, and Lily, grinning, made her way over to the Gryffindor table.  
  
"Nicely done, Lily, nicely done. We're going to win the house cup this year, so you better help us." A nice-looking boy with another shiny prefect badge was smiling down at her.  
  
Lily smiled, then turned her head towards the Sorting, so she wouldn't miss Narcissa. Oh please, let her get in to Gryffindor.  
  
Lily was hoping so hard she didn't notice Professor McGonagall call Narcissa's name until she was already on the stool. The hat had hardly touched her head when it called out, "SLYTHERIN!"  
  
Lily sighed. She wanted her one friend in her house, in all her classes. Who knew if she'd ever get to see Narcissa now?  
  
The table around her filled up with more Gryffindors, but Lily paid little attention. She didn't notice the Sorting was over until an old wizard with a long, glistening beard stood up and tapped a golden goblet.  
  
"Welcome! Welcome everyone, to a new year. I'd like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest, is still, as the name implies, forbidden. Also, this year we have acquired a very rare tree, a Whomping Willow. This tree will attack you if you get too near it, so I suggest you all stay far away from danger. Now, I have four more words for you: Plastic, strangement, wax, honk!"  
  
With those words, the golden plates in front of Lily suddenly filled with food. She reached for a bit of everything, as she had never seen so much food before. She let the conversation wash around her as she reached for more food.  
  
After dinner, Dumbledore (she had heard Sirius Black say his name) let them all go to their dormitiories.  
  
"First years, first years follow me!" The same boy who had spoken to Lily earlier got up and motioned for the first years to follow him out of the Great Hall.  
  
And Lily, very full and very sleepy, headed off towards Gryffindor Tower to await her first day of classes.  
  
A/N: I know in SS/PS it says Harry doesn't see the castle until he's partially across the lake, but I like to think it's just because he's distracted. How else could he look back out of the train at Hogwarts at the end of every year? If you have a different opinion about it, you're more than welcome to argue with me in a review or email. Were the canon characters in character? I know Narcissa hasn't really been established, but she could've been nice, at least until Slytherin and her family corrupted her. By the same token, I imagine Snape as a mean, greasy little git, but this is only one facet of his personality that's most prominent when he's nervous (like teaching Harry for the first time). Was it okay, or does my characterization need major work? 


	9. Transfiguration and Potions

Disclaimer: "J.K. Rowling" as an anagram is: "jowl kling" in Trollish, which translates to "this isn't mine."  
  
Chapter 8 - Transfiguration and Potions  
  
Lily's eyes were shut, the warmth of the blankets she was wrapped in leaving her in a sleep-induced state between wakefulness and sleepiness. Slowly, she became aware of a poking at her left forearm. She brushed it away, then groggily opened her eyes.  
  
"Whasit?" she asked, mumbling.  
  
A girl with curly hair was standing too close to her bed, grinning and rocking back and forth on her heels.  
  
"Class starts in four hours! Aren't you excited? Can't you wait to get there?"  
  
Lily groaned, then sat straight up in bed. "Where am I?"  
  
The girl laughed. A pillow sailed towards her from somewhere else in the room, and promptly hit her in the head.  
  
"Ow!" she said, rubbing her hair and making it stick up with static electricity. "What did you do that for?"  
  
Lily laughed. At least someone else was trying to sleep, too.  
  
"What time is it?" she asked sleepily.  
  
The girl consulted a silver watch. "It is precisely 5:04 am. Class starts in exactly 3 hours and 56 minutes. You better hurry if you want to get there on time."  
  
"Would you all just shut it and let me SLEEP!" another girl called from behind a curtain.  
  
"No, I won't," the first girl said, coming over to the girl's bed and pulling open the curtains.  
  
"Light! Get it away, get it away!" she shrieked, covering her face with her hands.  
  
"As much as I love all of you yelling and screaming, it IS only 5 am, and other people might want to still sleep," Lily pointed out, getting out of bed and heading towards the bathroom. "If anyone asks, none of this noise was my fault."  
  
"And what was your name, in case someone asks?" the first girl questioned. "I know I came over here on the boat with you, and you said it last night, but with so many people I don't know I forgot."  
  
"I'm Lily, and you are?"  
  
"I'm Elisa, but you can call me Elie. I've been waiting to come to Hogwarts forever, and now the day is finally here. I mean, technically, the day was yesterday, when we got on the train, but today we start proper lessons, and then-"  
  
"Elie?" the girl who had originally shouted for sleep said. "Could you do us all a favor and calm down?"  
  
"Calm down? Calm down? This is the happiest day of my life! I'm going to be learning magic, Mary! Aren't you excited?"  
  
"A little, but I'm also tired. We'll see if you're so excited to be learning magic after you get homework tonight."  
  
"Homework? Shouldn't they call it dormwork?" Elie snickered at her own joke.  
  
At this, Lily rolled her eyes and went to the bathroom to prepare for her first day.  
  
*****  
  
Three and a half hours later, Elie, Mary, Lily, and two other girls in their dorm who had slept through the noise, Caroline and Anna, were standing in the Great Hall. All five peered down at identical schedules.  
  
"Does anyone know where the Transfigurations classroom is?" Elie asked. "We only have half an hour to get there, and I don't want to be late for my first class on my first, well, technically my second, day at Hogwarts."  
  
"I don't know, but perhaps if we start walking up the main staircase, we'll find it," Caroline said.  
  
Lily shrugged, and the rest of the group murmured their approval of the plan.  
  
"Where to now?" Anna, who was slightly pudgy, asked.  
  
Lily sighed, casting her eyes around and trying to rationalize her thoughts. "Well, Transfiguration is the art of changing one thing into another, right? So the classroom can't be down the main corridor, because then it would be where we expect it. And if it's the art of changing, it should be where we least expect it. I say we go down the stairs to the dungeons."  
  
"That made total sense, in a very weird sort of way," Caroline said, still rubbing sleep from her eyes.  
  
So the girls turned around and went down the staircase they had just climbed.  
  
"Uh oh," Mary said. "Does anyone know where we are? This isn't the entryway anymore."  
  
"What are we going to do? What are we going to do? We might be late, and then we'd get points taken off on our very first day, then everyone in Gryffindor will hate us, and then we'll never get the House Cup, and then-"  
  
"Would you please SHUT IT for one second, Elie?" Mary said through gritted teeth. "I'm trying to concentrate."  
  
"It's just so frustrating. We're at a MAGIC SCHOOL. Why isn't there a magical solution to this problem?" Lily said, exasperated.  
  
"But there is a magical solution to your problem, fellow Gryffindors." The prefect who had led them all to Gryffindor Tower last night was leaning up against a wall, smiling. He winked at Lily's amazement.  
  
"The spell is actually a charm. You simply utter the incantation, Point Me, and you're directed the right way. But since you haven't taken Charms yet, since this is the first day, I'll have to lead you. Now, where is your first class?"  
  
"It's Transfiguration, but we don't even know where we are, and we'll never get there in time, and then we'll be punished, and I've never had a detention at Hogwarts before," Elie wailed.  
  
The boy smiled reassuringly at Elie, and Lily felt a slight stab of jealousy. Then she noticed that Elie's teeth were yellow and crooked as Elie smiled back at him. How had Lily not noticed that before? Probably because I was half-asleep, Lily thought to herself.  
  
"So which class is your favorite?" Caroline simpered at his elbow.  
  
"I really enjoy Transfiguration, but Charms is an okay class, too. I think all the Gryffindors agree that Potions is the worst, though."  
  
"Why?" Lily asked before flashing a huge grin.  
  
"Because Potions is taught by the most evil, foul man ever in existence, Professor-"  
  
"Ah, the rest of my Gryffindors. Thank you, Mr. Jones. Now, you should get to your class before Professor Maleficus takes points off. We have to beat Slytherin in the House Cup this year, it's been six years since we've won, as he reminded me last night."  
  
"I'll try, Professor."  
  
"Thank you, Jones. Now off to class." Professor McGonagall turned to her first-years. "I trust you will not be late again, now that you know the way. Now follow me to class." The Gryffindors followed without comment, though Elie was wringing her hands from nervousness.  
  
When the girls arrived in the classroom, they quickly took seats. Anna and Caroline sat together, as did Elie and Mary. This left the only open seat next to a boy with light brown hair and dark shadows under his eyes.  
  
Lily smiled at him as she sat down. He smiled back, weakly, then turned his attention to Professor McGonagall.  
  
"In front of you all there is a match. You will attempt to turn this into a needle. The theory is in your book, on pages 2-26. You will write an essay explaining the theory on one roll of parchment, due next Friday, but for now, you will attempt to practice the theory."  
  
Lily exchanged a look with the boy. He looked pale at the thought of so much homework. Lily brushed aside her inhibitions and pulled her wand out of her pocket, concentrating on silver.  
  
By the end of class, Lily's match was still a match. Only one boy in the class, James Potter, had done anything to his match at all. The ends of his match turned pointy and silvery. Professor McGonagall had smiled at him and given 5 points to Gryffindor.  
  
*****  
  
After lunch Lily followed her dormmates and the boys she had taken Transfiguration with to the dungeons. Lily shuddered at the walls, which were covered in spiderwebs.  
  
"What's the matter, Lily? Scared of spiders?" Elie asked, plucking one from its web and placing it in Lily's hair.  
  
"Eww! Get it off! Get it off!" Lily said, clawing frantically at the top of her head.  
  
"What's the matter, is the ickle Muggleborn afraid of spiders? Do they not have them in the big, bad Muggle world?" Severus cooed behind Lily.  
  
"You-You leave her alone!" James said protectively, curling his hands into fists. "She can't help what she is!"  
  
"Excuse me! I can't help what I am? Would you like to know what I am, Mr. Potter?" Lily asked, in a threatening tone of voice. "I'm a female who practices magic, the same as Caroline, Anna, Elie, Mary, or Narcissa over there."  
  
Narcissa's face turned red, and her eyes narrowed.  
  
"I'm not the same as you, Evans. The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be," Narcissa spat, brushing past Lily into the classroom.  
  
"If you'll excuse me, the hallway's air is getting polluted," Severus said, sweeping past the group of stunned Gryffindors.  
  
Lily forced herself to breathe slowly, in and out. "Are you okay, Lily?" Elie asked. Elie had turned red and had crescent moons in her palms from where she had pressed her nails against them.  
  
"I'm fine, Elie, thanks," Lily said.  
  
"If that git ever threatens anyone because they're Muggleborn, I'll-I'll feed him to the wolves!" Sirius said, his eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
"We better go before we're late," Anna said, looking at her watch.  
  
The rest of the group nodded, then ventured bravely forward through the doorway.  
  
"Ah, the Gryffindors. As you're each a minute late, I believe it will be ten points from Gryffindor, a point apiece for each minute you're all late. It will be twenty points if you all don't find seats now," the professor said when Sirius opened his mouth to explain.  
  
The Gryffindors quickly took seats on the empty side of the room. This time, Elie sat with Lily and Mary sat with another Gryffindor boy.  
  
"I am Professor Maleficus. I assure you the rumors you have heard about me are true. As our latest inductees to Hogwarts, let's see if you're all as thick as the lot I usually have to work with. I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper in death-if you aren't as dunderheaded as your predecessors. Now, let's see. You there!" Here Maleficus paused, pointing at a round, frightened boy sitting with Remus.  
  
"Tell me, what's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"  
  
The boy swallowed nervously. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.  
  
"What is your name, boy?"  
  
The boy gulped.  
  
"I haven't swollen your vocal chords, now speak!"  
  
The boy opened his mouth again and gave a pitiful squeak. "I'm Pet-Peter Pettigrew, sir," the boy said, a definite tremor in his voice.  
  
"Ah, the boy speaks! Let him be known as the Boy-Who-Spoke! Now, Mr. Pettigrew, since you have proven your vocal chords are in order, please, enlighten us. What's the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"  
  
The room was silent. Lily distinguished seventeen different people breathing before she stopped counting.  
  
"Well, Mr. Pettigrew, I'm waiting for an answer."  
  
"I-I don't know, sir."  
  
"Perhaps if you read your books before you came to class, you would! As punishment for Mr. Pettigrew's ignorance, you will all write an essay, on five rolls of parchment, on the uses of monkshood and wolfsbane-if there is indeed a difference. This essay will be due in two weeks time."  
  
Sirius Black stood up, furious. "But it's our first day, sir. Peter didn't know any better. He's trying, he really is, but he's nervous. Can't you see how nervous he is? Why don't you just leave him alone?"  
  
"Ten points for speaking out of turn, Mr.--Black, is it? And you will also be serving detention with me, tonight, unless you already have a detention lined up."  
  
"Now, who KNOWS the difference between monkswood and wolfsbane? Mr. Snape, how about you?"  
  
"Monkswood and wolfsbane are from the same plant, which also is called aconite."  
  
"Very good, Mr. Snape, very good indeed. Forty points to Slytherin."  
  
Snape smiled superiorly at the Gryffindors as Sirius curled his fingers into fists.  
  
"Now, who can tell me the properties of this plant?" Maleficus asked, as the Gryffindors settled in their chairs for a very long lesson.  
  
*****  
  
After dinner, Lily sat in the common room, books spread all around her.  
  
"You cursed us, Elie. This is your fault. You HAD to say the homework wouldn't be that difficult," Lily moaned.  
  
"I said no such thing. I said the DORMWORK wouldn't be difficult. There's a difference."  
  
"My mistake."  
  
The pair worked in silence for about five minutes, scribbling facts about transfiguring matches to needles for their essays.  
  
"What's it like, Lily?" Elie asked suddenly.  
  
"What's what like? Actually getting transfiguration right? I don't know, I'll let you know by my excited hollering when I accomplish it."  
  
"No, what's being here, as a Muggleborn like?"  
  
"It's-different, I guess. Everyone else has grown up with this totally different interpretation of the world. It's just hard to adjust to this being reality and all that other stuff being unimportant."  
  
Elie nodded. "I couldn't imagine being Muggleborn. Not knowing about Hogwarts, or magic-I think I'd go crazy!"  
  
"You wouldn't go crazy, you just wouldn't know that it existed, and when they told you it did, you'd just think it was a big joke."  
  
"Is that what you did?"  
  
Lily smiled at the memory. "Yes, but I really didn't know better. I'm glad I came here, though."  
  
"I'm glad you're here, too. Now come on, let's leave all this dormwork and start a game of Exploding Snap. You think anyone else will play?"  
  
Lily smiled, setting her books aside. "I'm almost sure of it."  
  
*****  
  
A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers, and to everyone who put me on their favorites list! I'm in the double digits for reviews. Yay! Your reviews really do help me to get this out faster, as I started writing this chapter today. Would you rather have shorter, faster updates, or longer between updates and longer story per chapter? Let me know in a review or email. 5 points to anyone who spots the Latin translation of some of these words. 


	10. Flying

Disclaimer: If your name is JKR and you're feeling extra generous, you can give me the money you make off of these characters, because I don't make anything.  
  
Chapter 9 - Flying  
  
Dear Lily,  
  
I don't know how or if you'll get this, because it's not as if I can tell the postman to go to Hogwarts School, but I felt the need to write to you anyway.  
  
The house is empty without you. I keep hearing your voice, and then I go to see you and you're not here. But I'm sure you're having fun at school, and learning loads. When you do get this, I want to know everything. What are classes like? Did you meet any cute boys? How are your roommates?  
  
We miss you, Lily!  
  
Love,  
  
Dad and Mum  
  
PS-Petunia says she misses you very much, too.  
  
PPS-Right after your father finished writing this, an owl flew through the window and started pointing its foot at us. We do hope you get this, dear.  
  
Lily smiled through her mouthful of orange juice. She doubted that Petunia had expressed any emotion towards her departure-with the exception of possibly glee, but it was nice to know her parents were trying to make her feel better.  
  
"Interesting letter?" a breathy voice asked in her ear.  
  
"Aaah!" Lily half-screamed as she spat her orange juice down the front of her robes.  
  
"You shouldn't have done that!" Lily screeched, looking at James Potter's grin.  
  
"So?" he asked.  
  
"So what?" Lily asked, against her better judgment.  
  
"So, is it an interesting letter?"  
  
"Yes, thank you, it is," Lily said, sticking her nose up in the air and ignoring him.  
  
"Can I see?"  
  
"I don't know if you're capable, but you may not."  
  
"Who's it from?"  
  
"Someone who misses me."  
  
"Oooh, does ickle Evans have a boyfriend?"  
  
"That's not your concern."  
  
"Well, will ickle Evans - I mean, uh, nice, talented, beautiful Evans, go out with me?"  
  
"Only in your dreams." With that, Lily snatched her books into her other free hand, and headed for her first class, Flying.  
  
When Lily arrived out on the front lawn, she was surprised to see two rows of broomsticks set in the grass. Angrily, she stomped over to the nearest one and threw her books in the grass, still fuming.  
  
How dare he? What difference did it make to him if she had a boyfriend or not? That was her business, and her business alone. Why did James think he could humiliate her like that? Yes, he was nice to her when she was confused at King's Cross, but then he threw water on her in the boat and made her fall in the lake, and now this. What had she done to deserve it?  
  
"Lily, are you okay?"  
  
Lily started, then looked into the beaming face of Elie. "Don't worry about James Potter, he's just a show-off. All of us have known it since our first meeting with James. He's just trying to go after you because you're the only witch in our year who hadn't already told him to get lost."  
  
"But James doesn't like me . he threw water on me, he's been harassing me. And even if he did like me, what's to say I'd like him back?"  
  
"Nothing says you have to like him back, Lily. But if you don't, then let him know."  
  
Lily threw up her hands in exasperation. "I thought I did! What was the whole 'only in your dreams,' and stalking out on him, if not that?"  
  
"A way for him to be more intrigued. Sssh, he's coming!"  
  
"I don't care if he is coming! I don't want to see him! I HATE James Potter!"  
  
"I HATE broccoli!" Sirius screamed in a mocking tone. "How about you, Lily?"  
  
"Bugger off, Sirius! Leave Lily alone!" Elie said.  
  
"Yeah, Sirius, leave Lily alone," Peter Pettigrew, a fellow Gryffindor, said, as he flushed scarlet.  
  
"You know, Narcissa, it's beyond me why anyone would attempt to talk with Mudblood filth .. It's not as if they can understand us," Severus Snape said, leading a group of Slytherins. "But after all, it is Sirius," Severus said casually as Narcissa tittered politely behind her hand.  
  
"You . you leave her alone, you evil pure-blood! It's not her fault she's born differently!" James Potter screamed, holding his wand up to Severus as if to duel.  
  
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Snape! Stand in line! It's time for class to begin," an elderly witch said in a harsh tone of voice.  
  
"Good morning, class. As you may know, I am Madam Firebolt. I played Quidditch for twelve years for England, and with my instruction, you may be able to play for them, too."  
  
Elie nudged Lily in the ribs and pointed at James. His eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets, he was so interested in this woman and her teachings. Sirius Black was almost as intrigued.  
  
"Okay, class, now stand next to your brooms, hold out your hand over them, and say, 'Up!'"  
  
The entire class stood next to their brooms and said this. A few people, like James, Sirius, and Severus, had brooms in their hands on the first try, but it took most people more than one go. Lily got her broom at about the same time Elie did - not first, but not last, like poor Peter Pettigrew, either.  
  
When Peter had finally given up and picked his broom off the ground, Madam Firebolt said, "Mount your brooms!"  
  
Lily looked around dazedly. The only thing she'd ever used a broom for was sweeping the floor. But everyone else seemed comfortable with the concept and were, in fact, climbing onto their broom handles. Lily sighed, chewed her bottom lip, and tried to mimic James, since he seemed to know what he was doing.  
  
"Hey, James, for someone who HATES you, someone seems to be staring a lot," Sirius called, a bit too loudly.  
  
"Maybe she doesn't HATE you at all. Maybe Lily LIKES you, James," Peter added.  
  
"I was just copying . oh, never mind. You'll never believe me anyway," Lily finished lamely.  
  
"Lily likes James! Lily likes James!" Sirius and Peter began sing- songing.  
  
"Mr. Black! Mr. Pettigrew! Ten points from Gryffindor! And don't harass this poor girl in my sight again, if you want a chance at making your house team one of these years,"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," both Peter and Sirius said, bowing their heads and looking ashamed. But Lily saw Sirius look up with a glint in his eye and a smirk across his lips.  
  
"No, Miss Evans, like this. Move your legs back, like Mr. Potter over there. See what he's doing? Copy that, and I'll be back to check on you in a minute." Madam Firebolt said as she moved down the line.  
  
"Yes, Lily, please, stare at James. We know you want an excuse. You LIKE - I mean, HATE, him," Sirius said.  
  
"Mr. Black, detention," Madam Firebolt snapped without turning around.  
  
"But I didn't do anything. All I said was that Lily liked James, which is true, so I don't know why you're giving me a det - "  
  
Sirius trailed off, and it was immediately obvious to Lily why he did so. Severus had sent a snake flying towards Sirius. The snake coiled itself around Sirius's mouth, muffling his speech.  
  
"Mr. Snape! Miss Black! Mr. Black! Mr. Potter! Mr. Pettigrew! Miss Evans! Would you all kindly escort me to the Headmaster's office? The rest of you, stay here, with your feet on the ground, or none of you will play Quidditch at this school, I personally guarantee it."  
  
"Come along, Miss Evans. I don't have all day!"  
  
Lily followed the others, puzzled as to why she was being forced to come along. As far as she could tell, neither she nor Narcissa had done anything. But she'd see what the Headmaster had to say. Maybe she'd broken some unknown rule. Maybe she was going to be expelled, in her first week here. A few days ago, that would've suited her fine. But now, part of her wanted to stay, learn more magic with people her own age.  
  
Lily could hear Madam Firebolt muttering towards the front of the line. Lily counted five staircases between the front lawn and Dumbledore's office. She just hoped Madam Firebolt wasn't saying anything too important, because she couldn't have listened if she'd tried. All she heard was a white wash of noise in her ears that sounded like her own heart.  
  
The line stopped suddenly in front of a stone gargoyle.  
  
"Lemon sherbet," Madam Firebolt snapped, and looked at the gargoyle expectantly.  
  
And to Lily's surprise, the gargoyle jumped aside, revealing a rotating staircase. No one moved, as everyone seemed just as surprised as Lily.  
  
"Hurry up, children, I haven't got all day! What are you waiting for? Go up!"  
  
Those words finally did Lily some good, as she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. The others in front of her did the same, as they all made their way to the staircase. Finally, they arrived at the top, facing a door which Lily knew would be Dumbledore's office.  
  
Once, in primary school, Lily had been sent to the principal's office because she had been late to school due to Petunia's primping for class for too long. Lily desperately hoped Dumbledore's office wouldn't look dark, with cold metal chairs that were several inches shorter than the principal's were.  
  
Madam Firebolt knocked three times, a hollow sound that filled Lily with dread.  
  
"Come in, come in," a voice said jovially.  
  
Lily followed the rest of the line into the room. When she arrived, she gasped. Portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses lined the back wall. Golden, spindly instruments were humming merrily in the background. And sitting on a perch was a bird with the most distinctive markings Lily had ever seen. The bird was glowing red, like a flame that hadn't quite been put out. And when Lily put out her hand as if to touch it, the bird uttered a soft, comforting note.  
  
"His name is Fawkes," Dumbledore said softly. "He's a phoenix."  
  
"He's beautiful," Lily said, forgetting temporarily why she was in the office at all.  
  
"He was a gift from someone very dear to me. He reminds me of her, very much."  
  
Madam Firebolt cleared her throat loudly. Lily looked up to see the others watching them, with mixtures of interest and disgust on their faces.  
  
"But as interesting as this is, Lily, I'm quite sure I'm not paying respect to the honor of your visit. Madam Firebolt, would you care to enlighten me as to the reason for this?"  
  
"Well, Professor Dumbledore," she spat with contempt, "these children were disrupting my class. I assigned detention, but it didn't do any good. Finally, I just brought them up here when I was sick of the interruptions. Flying is a very delicate business, you know. You can't be too careful."  
  
"Truer words were never spoken, my dear lady. Now, if I'm not mistaken, you have more students still outside to be instructed?"  
  
"The students! Oh my stars!"  
  
"Go ahead, run along. I'll be sure that these students are disciplined properly."  
  
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," she said, making a little bow as she left the room.  
  
"Now, since that nasty business is over, would anyone like a biscuit?"  
  
No one spoke. Were the rumors true? Was Professor Dumbledore really off his rocker?  
  
"Miss Evans, how about you? Would you like a biscuit?"  
  
Lily hesitated. "They're quite fresh. Daisy the house-elf made them just a few minutes ago."  
  
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," Lily finally said, as she accepted a biscuit.  
  
"Would anyone else like a biscuit?"  
  
James, Sirius, and Peter all nodded, but Narcissa and Severus wrinkled their noses.  
  
"Professor, begging your pardon, sir," Severus said with a slight trace of sarcasm, "but aren't we here to be disciplined? I, for one, would like to attend my remaining classes instead of sitting up here in the Headmaster's office eating biscuits!"  
  
"Right you are, Severus. Students need to learn. But by this little offering of food, I think I can guess what happened during your Flying lesson. Shall I go on, or would one of you care to explain for yourselves?"  
  
"I'll tell you, Professor Dumbledore," Lily said, before she could stop herself.  
  
"Thank you, Miss Evans. Please proceed."  
  
"Well, you see, it all started at breakfast, when I got a letter from someone and James was trying to figure out who sent it. Then he asked me out, and I got all mad and stormed off. So then, I went outside to wait for class, and so Elie came outside and we started talking about . people, and then there was just general insults and interruptions between us all."  
  
"Thank you, Miss Evans. Does anyone else have anything else to add?"  
  
"Headmaster, this is ridiculous," Narcissa spoke softly, and Lily looked up to see what she'd have to say. "These were just a few simple infractions between schoolmates. There is no problem between us." Narcissa stared straight into Dumbledore's eyes, as if trying to convince him that he was wasting time.  
  
"There's no animosity between any of you? You all feel that Miss Evans is just as qualified in the wizarding world as you yourself are?"  
  
"Now, Headmaster, Narcissa didn't say that. There is no way to control what Lily is. We just have to accept her inferiority."  
  
"Mr. Snape, please apologize to Miss Evans immediately." Dumbledore's voice was cold, firm, commanding.  
  
"Lily, I'm sorry I said you're inferior," Severus said in an obligatory voice.  
  
"That's better. Now, if all of you will give me your solemn vow not to let silly grudges get in the way of your schoolwork, you're all free to go."  
  
"We promise, Headmaster," they all said in unison, though Lily noticed both Sirius and Severus had their fingers crossed behind their backs.  
  
"Very good. Also, if you could please write me an essay on the importance of getting along with all witches and wizards, to be handed in on two rolls of parchment to your Head of House by Friday morning, I will let you all go. I believe, if you hurry, you will make it to your next class on time, to ensure you don't miss any more class."  
  
Dumbledore smiled jubilantly at Snape, who was looking murderous.  
  
"Thank you, Headmaster," Snape finally said, and gave him a curt nod. "Are you coming, Narcissa? We've got Defense Against the Dark Arts."  
  
Narcissa stood up, gave a slight nod to Dumbledore, and followed.  
  
"All that, and we didn't even get to see Madam Firebolt fly!" Sirius said, outraged.  
  
"There will be plenty of time for Flying lessons, Mr. Black. What you all need to remember is there are plenty of people like Mr. Snape and Miss Black, quick to judge those who they deem less qualified than themselves. If I am not mistaken, and I very much hope I am, there are Dark times ahead. I'd like to ask you all - Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Pettigrew, Miss Evans - to stay alert. Be vigilant in your studies. And most importantly, don't let the actions of others cause you to do something rash."  
  
Peter, James, and Sirius stood to go.  
  
"Are you coming, Lily?" James asked in a concerned tone.  
  
"I'll be along in a minute. I want to ask Professor Dumbledore something. Could you tell Professor Flitwick I'll be late?"  
  
"All right."  
  
"Professor Dumbledore?" Lily said, timidly.  
  
"Yes, Miss Evans? Do you need another biscuit?"  
  
"Actually, sir, I was wondering something. I've heard the word 'Mudblood' used a few times before, but I don't know what it means. I know it's bad."  
  
"Who said that?" Dumbledore's voice was sharper, and he had leaned forward in his chair.  
  
"I don't remember, sir. Someone said it in Diagon Alley, and then Severus said it during our Flying lesson."  
  
Dumbledore looked as though someone had struck him. "Lily, Mudblood is a very offensive word that means someone who is not born to a wizard and a witch. Some witches and wizards think it means that you're not as pure of a witch or wizard. I'm afraid you may be hearing that word more often than you should. Just do your best to ignore it, Miss Evans, and if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to come and find me."  
  
"Thank you, Headmaster."  
  
"You're welcome, Miss Evans. Now I believe you're expected in Charms?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Well, have a good lesson, and tell Professor Flitwick to come see me if he has a problem with you being late."  
  
"Thank you, Headmaster."  
  
"You're welcome, Miss Evans. Now off to class."  
  
Lily put her feet in front of the other, wandering slowly down to the Charms classroom. So the problem with her was that she was born to Muggle parents? She'd show them, she'd show them all. She'd work harder than ever, become better at every subject than any of them. Then they'd realize that it was no use giving nasty names to anyone.  
  
A/N: Yes? No? I know it may be a bit farfetched, but no less so than any of the other fanfic out there. Feel free to quibble with me if you feel characters are out of character, or just to leave any general comments. Thanks to all who reviewed! 


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